Opinion

Over the past two years, landowners across the Hill Country, including 100 landowners along the Blanco River, have partnered with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), The Nature Conservancy, Hill Country Alliance, Texas Department of Transportation, and other municipal and local partners to build the Healthy Creeks Initiative. This collaborative effort focuses on controlling Arundo (a non-native, invasive plant) and restoring diverse, healthy plant communities along the Blanco River and ...

I was shocked to discover 30 percent of my income last year was spent on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs. This for a family of two, one of which is receiving Medicare. Large deductibles on insurance policies preclude using insurance except for major medical events. Premiums are projected to keep rising dramatically. The present administration (promising “great healthcare at a low price for everyone”) has not come through on their promises.

As a school administrator and as a parent I have seen many a young person balk when expected to follow certain rules and regulations. And it isn’t just youth, however, who get upset with having to follow rules. I recently traveled on Southwest Airlines. When you’re in a hurry, having to go through all the security rigmarole at the airport can be a real pain in the neck.

This has been an unusual spring. It seems we didn’t have a spring, it was cold one day and hot the next. The annuals we planted in the fall didn’t seem to last very long. It is now time to remove pansies, pink primroses and snapdragons and replace with zinnia, cosmos, periwinkles, dahlias, geranium plus more choices. Group plants that have similar needs.

Back in the 1970s I had a friend who worked at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. He was some kind of computer guru. He had top secret security clearance. He wouldn’t discuss his work other than to tell me that he could see a battle field from any angle including from the vantage point of the enemy.

As a youngster in elementary school I was a shy one. I seldom got into trouble because I was afraid to. The teaching staff put a label across my forehead that said I was a good boy who made good grades and seldom needed discipline. That label earned me the coveted position of School Projectionist.

As a young pilot, Gail “Hal” Halvorson had flown cargo planes into Berlin during the infamous Soviet blockade of 1948-49. It was designed to give the Soviet Union control over Germany’s entire capital city following the war. The Soviets had taken possession of half the country which left Berlin isolated within the territory they claimed as theirs.

If you work in technology, administration or communications, according to definitions used by the Social Security Administration, you have a sedentary job. You’re among roughly 80% of Americans, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. This could be why about half of American workers blame weight gain on their job or work environment.

This is the time to set out spring plants such as copper plant, firebush, periwinkles and caladiums. For fall color set out mint marigolds and Mexican sage. Apply organic fertilizer to grasses, trees, shrubs and perennials. Water in if we don’t receive rain. Organic fertilizer is slow release by nature if you can’t water immediately.

The Affordable Care Act Took my Worries Away. Do you worry that you could be bankrupted by a serious medical problem? Are you too young for Medicare? Welcome to the club! My healthcare worries ended when I finally took advantage of the Affordable Care Act. For years I had been shelling out the big bucks to Blue Cross and Humana.